844 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE NEW SPRING SAW 



TJ?7"ITH the aid of a new saw that has lately been in- 

 '" troduced, it is claimed that a strong boy or woman 

 is able to cut more wood than two experienced lumber- 

 men equipped with a standard crosscut saw. In support 



Internatiottai Film Scrticc 



A SAW ANY ONE CAN USE 



With this mechanism a boy or growing girl can handle any piece of cord- 

 wood that may be brought in to cut up for firewood. It requires but little 

 muscular strength to operate it, and is said to work so smoothly as to 

 attract the attention of the Government experts. 



of thi.s claim is the record made during a contest con- 

 ducted a short time ago. 



Two men with a crosscut saw mastered an ii-inch 



International Film Scr-.tce 



CONCRESSMAN RAKER OF CALIFORNIA OPERATING THE 

 SPRING SAW 



This enables one person to do as much work as two ordinarily accomplish 

 with a standard crosscut blade. 



chestnut log in 92 strokes, while one man, with the new 

 machine saw, accomplished the same work in 70 strokes. 



The implement consists of two steel arms actuated by 

 a powerful connecting spring. .\ bracket is attached at 

 the fore end of each of the members, and to these the 

 blades are clam])ed. To o])erate, the saw is merely drawn 

 back and fcirth in the usual manner, all of the necessary 

 pressure being exerted by the spring. The entire 

 contrivance weighs only 12 pounds. It is especially 

 suited for the farmer who does not wish to incur the 

 expense of jnirchasing a power outtit for cutting fuel 

 wood. In addition to cutting logs, it may be emploved 

 for felling trees of medium size. — (Popular Mechanics). 



ITALIAN GOVERNMENT BUYS TIMBER 



A X INTERESTING and highly significant develop- 

 -^*- ment with respect to the export lumber market has 

 taken place within a short time, says a dispatch 

 from New Orleans. The purchase, by commissioners 

 representing the Italian Government, of 3>4 million feet 

 of yellow pine timber (specified of "Southern pine mer- 

 chantable grades") for delivery at Gulf ports to be 

 moved, via ships supplied by purchaser, to Italy. This 

 sizable order was placed with the Southern Pine Emer- 

 gency Bureau, which now is distributing the business 

 among the Southern pine mills east and west of the 

 Mississippi. It will be inspected at the tnills by Asso- 

 ciation inspectors and shipped to designated ports to 

 await the cargo-steamers, which are to be furnished 

 by the buyers. 



The order is noteworthy and important not onlv be- 

 cause of its size, but because of its indication that 

 post-war lumber-buying for European countries may be 

 handled largely by government commissions — which in 

 their turn will deal with organized central agencies in 

 preference to making direct purchases from the indi- 

 vidual mills. It is not officially settled that this method 

 will be adopted, but in addition to the Italian transac- 

 tion noted above, there have been intimations very 

 fL-cently that France and England will buy lumber in 

 this country through the "high commissions" which 

 liavc handled their war-time purchases. The very im- 

 portant question of ocean tonnage, which has bothered 

 students of the export market more than a little, may be 

 disposed of if the business is handled u])on the lines 

 indicated, sellers making delivery at .\merican ports and 

 buyers ])roviding cargo space. 



SUBSTITUTES FOR HICKORY IN THE 

 MANUFACTURE OF HANDLES 



C PECIFICATIONS for handles for intrenching tools 

 ^ were prepared during the war by the Forest Pro- 

 ducts Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin, allowing seven 

 substitute species in place of hickory and also certain 

 minor defects, thereby making possible greatly increased 

 production for this class of material and at the same time 

 giving satisfactory handles. 



